THE HAUNTED ASSASSIN

In Wittenborn’s espionage thriller, a North Korean spy must reckon with her lifelong indoctrination.

Yeong Hwa is only in her 20s by the time she’s carrying out acts of terrorism for her North Korean homeland. She’s tasked with planting explosives on a South Korean commercial aircraft to deter attendance to the 1988 Seoul Olympics; her country hopes this act will weaken South Korea’s global reputation, bringing it closer to its goal of a unified Korea. Yeong Hwa has been training for moments like this practically since the day of her birth—after she was recognized as a child of extraordinary talent and intellect, her education was shifted from the standard North Korean civilian indoctrination into training to become a special agent. She’s never wavered in her devotion to the Great Leader, Kim Il Sung, and she’s held strong in her belief that North Korea’s path is righteous, even if she may struggle to understand certain orders (“To think of these people as enemies didn’t work for her”). The plane bombing is a success, but Yeong Hwa is apprehended on her trip home. Her attempted suicide is thwarted, and she’s taken into custody. She fears the worst, having heard horror stories of South Korea and other enemies in the West, so she’s shocked when her captors debunk the lies of her homeland. (“Was the South Korean capital really so attractive?…Had she been deceived by her leaders?”) Wittenborn, who spent 25 years teaching in the History and Asian Studies Departments at San Diego State University, excels at leveraging his expertise in the subject matter to make Yeong Hwa’s involvement with the North Korean regime believable. The novel’s most gripping element is the handling of Yeong Hwa herself; the story pulls no punches regarding the consequences of her ingrained beliefs while remaining sympathetic about the indoctrination she’s undergone simply because of where she was born. Yeong Hwa’s journey toward freedom is emotionally compelling, and the high-octane action ensures that the stakes of the plot match those of her internal struggle.

An action-packed and emotionally resonant spy thriller.